


Sun In My (Mako) Eyes

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Brass, Blood & Bone [11]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Past Lives, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Minor Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 20:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16524380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: Vincent will do much for his loves, even share their attention, if it means their happiness.It helps when sharing gains them strength.





	Sun In My (Mako) Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [verifiedSanctuary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/verifiedSanctuary/gifts).



> Zack has made his way into the BB&B 'verse! For two of my most talkative Muses, apparently they get stuck when you put them together but I managed to coax this out of them. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-ShinRa Security Office, New York, United States-**

The file on Veld's desk was a new one, the crisp smell of fresh manila combined with ink a dead giveaway. 

"Someone else that the LifeStream took with?" He prodded as they leaned against the desk together, tea and coffee steaming as they looked out into the Turk bullpen. A lifetime of partnership wasn't erased even with lives between. 

"He's... I think the LifeStream granted second chances to those who deserved them. This one, he was an upright SOLDIER with a godsdamned heart of gold. You never met but he knows Cloud and some others of your merry band." came the reply. 

"May I see the file?" Vincent hummed, huffing as Reno made a face at the one-way mirror wall. "He does know that we can see him, right?" 

"You never know with Reno." 

Veld handed it over and the photo brought up a groggy memory of chaos above him and then silence. "... We've met. He pried the lid off of my coffin once." 

"Vincent, that does _not_ count as a meeting. Did he put it back?" Veld chided before morbid curiosity apparently overtook his old friend's manners. 

"He did," he murmured. "He apologized for disturbing my rest." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Investigate and make my own assessment."

* * *

Fair lived in an area that wasn't quite Hell's Kitchen but not 5th Ave either so Vincent dressed somewhere in between, fake frames firmly in place on his nose.

Tifa had teased, Cloud had helped and Yuffie laughed, showing him pictures of something called 'visual kei' and telling him he'd fit right in. He took Nanaki with him and searched for dog-friendly spaces so that they could sit together and not worry about passerbys. 

Vincent settled into a chair with his tea and cracked open his laptop, working on the latest translation Ms. Potts had asked him for. Much to his surprise, Fair made his way straight over to Vincent with an equally large dog in tow. 

"Hi, umm, this sounds weird but could you watch my dog for like, half-a-sec while I order? Kunsel's well-behaved, he's just big and I noticed you also had a big dog so... Umm. Yeah." Fair rattled off, violet eyes glowing with Mako. He remembered too, the LifeStream within him shining out. 

"Of course. He and Nanaki should get along well." Vincent accepted the leash from Fair, chuckling as Kunsel sniffed noses with Nanaki and then tugged experimentally on the leash. He held as Kunsel tugged to the left and then to the right before figuring out that Vincent's hold wasn't going to break. He huffed, trotted back over to Vincent's side and laid near Nanaki's fluffy tail. 

Fair returned with coffee and a pair of plain bagels with cream cheese. 

"Ah, thank you for watching Kunsel. I know he's a bit of a handful..." 

"Take the other seat. It is a bit crowded and at least our dogs get along." Vincent offered before Fair could ask. 

"Thank you, that's really kind of you. Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zack Fair." 

"Vincent Valentine and this is Nanaki." 

"He's gorgeous. Where'd you get him?" 

"Mm, he found me on a cross-country road-trip with my friends." Vincent replied as he scritched behind Nanaki's ears. "Close to the Grand Canyon." 

At that, Fair narrowed his eyes, looked at Nanaki properly and then at Vincent's left hand. Vincent rose a brow as Fair tapped the table twice, prompting a wave of Libra, Shield and Silence to wash over their spot and then looked him dead in the eye. 

"You're part of AVALANCHE, aren't you?" 

"I am." 

"Why are you looking for me now?" 

"It's not necessarily looking for you so much as checking in, I suppose. Cloud speaks of you rarely but it is with a great fondness and a terrible sadness." Vincent told Fair bluntly. "If you are here and parts of the Turks are here, who's to say the LifeStream didn't drag others with?" 

"... How's Aerith?" 

"She's running a city garden above her flowershop. Cloud does delivery for both her and 7th Heaven." Vincent admitted as he took the offered bagel. 

"Tifa too, huh? Is Nanaki...?" Fair motioned and Vincent agreed. 

"He is, though we keep that fact hidden from everyone but AVALANCHE and the Turks. Some of the Avengers made the connection." 

"Huh." Fair leaned back, sipped his coffee and then gave out a faint huff. "Oh for Typhoon's sake, stop using my last name. My name's Zack. Say it with me now... Zack." 

"Zack." He chuckled, "I'll give you Cloud's address and Aerith's, if you'd like." 

"They're here?" 

"Most of us are here on work or school visas, in the case of The White Rose." 

"I keep forgetting she's the youngest of your crew. Didn't you guys have a cat too or am I not remembering right?" 

"Cait Sith and yes, you're correct. We have yet to find the man behind the AI, Reeve Tuesti." Vincent explained. 

Zack tapped the table and the conversations around them rushed back in like a deluge of noise. "Tuesti?! He's my fire-chief. Likes to dabble in robotics but had to retire from active fire-fighting life thanks to a bad burn. Huh, I guess the world is kinda a small place after all."

* * *

Reeve spat out his coffee at the sight of Vincent in the fire house. 

"Vincent?!" 

"Reeve." He greeted evenly with a small smile. "I suppose this is different than college, isn't it?" 

"Hmph, so much for not getting judged by my study buddy." came the rejoinder. 

"College, sir?" Zack asked for the confused firefighters and to keep up a decent charade. 

"Online course, I believe, in...?" Vincent offered and Reeve snatched the opportunity. 

"Occupational safety for both of our Bachelor's. Come in, come in, let's catch up." Reeve shut the door and then sank down into the chair behind the desk. "I was wondering when AVALANCHE might show up at my door." 

"Just me, I think. Fair made the connection but ShinRa doesn't have a file on you." 

"Still kicking then? Older or younger?" Reeve snorted as he poured himself another cup. 

"Younger and brought low by circumstances out of his control. It also means he connects with the Turks on a level he didn't before but that's not what I'm here about." 

"Cait Sith's predictive abilities, then?" 

"I fear there may be more trouble on the horizon than we'd like to see. The Planet wouldn't awaken us like this without a purpose. She let us rest for millennia. Something must be going on that I cannot see but I know will happen at some point. First it was JENOVA, Deepground, the Chitauri and now HYDRA... I do not care to wait around and react when I can plan ahead." Vincent grumbled as he sipped at his tea. 

"Is this you talking or...?" Reeve prodded. 

"Chaos finds that there is much of what he represents in the future. The rest is my old Turk habits roaring to life, I'm afraid. Planning for future events is what we do best, after all." He replied. 

"You still consider yourself a Turk?" 

"Of course. Death lends a particular hindsight and rebirth even more so. What do you need to recreate Cait Sith here?" 

"I have everything but Grashtrike venom, which I doubt—Where did you get that?" Reeve blurted with wide eyes at Vincent deposited the sac of venom along with the injector on Reeve's desk. 

"By happy accident, mostly. Cloud and I went on hunting trips for everything in case we needed to restart or revive monsters. I have more but I want to parcel it carefully." Vincent murmured. "Would you give this to Fair? I'm going to be late for my job if I don't get going with Nanaki." 

"... You have a job?" 

"Reluctantly, and yes I remember that it was easier not to have a job millennia ago. I may be good at it but know that I hate paperwork with every fiber of my being." He drawled, standing up with his drained to-go cup in hand. 

"Vincent with a job. Now that's a novel concept." Reeve dryly said as he let Vincent out of his tiny office. 

"Fuck you too Reeve." He flipped the bird over his shoulder, Fair gasping out a laugh from the doorway. "You and your cat."

* * *

Three weeks after meeting Fair face-to-face, Cloud nearly bowled him over with a hug. 

"Zack's here! In New York! Does Aerith know?" 

"I only gave him the address to 7th Heaven. I don't know if she knows yet, Cloud." 

Blue eyes narrowed at him before they crinkled at the corners, "Damned Turks, huh?" 

"Damned Turks indeed, beloved. I merely went to observe and-" 

"Got caught up in him. Yeah, he's good at that. Can I kiss you?" 

"Of course," he purred, cradling Cloud's face in his hands and kissing until they both ran out of breath. "So, how is he?" 

"He's doing great and we... we caught up. He said I made good on my promise, years ago, but that he missed me and-Thank you, Vin. It means a lot." Cloud bubbled over and Vincent only chuckled. 

Fair's cheerful disposition was contagious and something he didn't mind when it came from Cloud. Tifa set her bag down and kicked the door closed to join their embrace. 

"So _you_ let the SOLDIER into my bar?" 

"He asked about Cloud and Aerith." 

"Did you tell him where Aerith was too?" 

"I don't know him as well as Cloud does. You two can defend yourselves and so can Aerith but I don't trust him yet." came his reply. "I found Tuesti with his help. Cait Sith should be joining us soon." 

"I'm sure Cid and Nanaki will be thrilled to have him back." Tifa snorted. "I know I won't be." 

"He's a part of AVALANCHE. It's about time he showed up." 

"If anyone asks, Reeve and I are online college friends." He added as an afterthought. 

"Got it." Cloud gave a cheeky, half-assed salute with his tongue sticking out. 

"Hmm, maybe I should put that tongue to better use." Vincent rumbled. 

Cloud happily obliged, kisses scattered between the three of them.

* * *

Aerith adored the man and he was Cloud's best friend but Vincent didn't seek Fair out the same way the rest of AVALANCHE did. 

Which, when he saw Fair shuffling in the SI lobby, proved to be a challenge that the latter took upon himself. 

"Fair, I've got a lunch break. Make whatever it is quick and to the point, please." He murmured as he swept the duster over his shoulders with a careless flick of his fingers. 

They settled into the diner seats and Fair looked him over with a head tilt. 

"You're avoiding me." 

"Yes." 

" _Why?_ " came the plaintive question even as Fair brought up the same barriers he'd done at the dog-friendly coffee shop. 

"I know that you love Cloud. I also understand that our relationship must be cordial as a result. I will not make Cloud unhappy but that does not mean we must be friends." Vincent replied as he took a bite of his sandwich. "That and I do not know you as well as you know the others." 

"So you're not even gonna try?" Vincent made a gesture between the two of them with his mouth full of food, raising an eyebrow when Fair's jaw dropped. "This is you trying?" 

Vincent swallowed, sighed and answered, "I am a reclusive person by nature. My Turk senses scream to blend in, to focus on that which I consider important to either myself, my lovers or AVALANCHE. You appear to be able to handle yourself. Why would we interact?" 

"Huh. Well, when you put it that way... Wait a sec, you're a Turk?!" 

"Yes." 

"Ahhhh. I've been approaching you all wrong then; I assumed you were an unwilling guest of Dr. Creepy and nothing more. Okay, lemme put it this way—Cloud's kinda miserable because one of his lovers and his best pal aren't even so much as talking. He thinks we hate each other." Fair's eyes lit up at that, switching the way he spoke to an alarming sensibility. 

"... I see. What do you suggest?" 

"What do we share aside from Cloud?" Fair-"And stop doing that, I can practically _hear_ my last name in your voice. Hate when people do that. Again, it's Zack, just Zack, the slightly obnoxious best friend of Cloud." 

"Favorite flavor of Popsicle?" 

"The shitty banana ones." 

"Hmm." 

"I guess that's all you care about? Cloud, Tifa, the rest of AVALANCHE, the Turks and shitty banana Popsicles." 

"I speak four languages, only one of which is English. I can insult you, if you'd like, or you can help me figure out how to prevent the disaster I know is coming without dying. I will revive and kill you myself if you hurt Cloud like that again." Vincent grumbled. 

"Noted, buddy." 

"I'm not your buddy." 

"Alright. So, how's that plan of yours go then?"

* * *

Zack wore a helmet and called himself Buster when he aided AVALANCHE or the Avengers. 

"Buster, were you a part of the original AVALANCHE crew?" A reporter thrust a mic at the man and Vincent wanted to snap it in half. 

They might not share much but Vincent and Zack worked together on patrols of the city, talked about Cloud and, on occasion, shared shitty Popsicles. 

"In spirit, mostly." Zack answered but the mega-watt smile behind the colored plexi-glass was brittle in a way Vincent knew intimately. 

"Buster was busy, I'm afraid, doing other things during AVALANCHE's run that were just as important. No more questions." 

"But Gunslinger-" 

"No more." He allowed his eyes to flare gold and threaten, his cape snapping and malicious. 

"You don't have to-" 

"I do. You're a part of AVALANCHE now." 

"Awww, does that mean we're friends now?" 

"No." 

"But...?" 

"You're invited to our weekly dinner and DnD session." He reluctantly allowed. "Mara is invincible, so hide behind her if you need to after your character is created." 

"No wonder he loves you, you're such a softy under all of that bristle an' snap." 

"Don't make me regret extending the invitation, Buster." 

"Sir no sir." 

"Cetra, get him before I pretzel him." 

"Can do Gunslinger!~" she sang over comms. "Buster, honey, it's best if you come here for now and help me with this chunk of building." 

"What's he mean by pretzel? Sweetheart? Oh." Aerith make a motion that means folding him into that formation. "Yeah, the better part of valor is fleeing. SOLDIER did that to me once." 

"Thank you, babe." Cloud crooned as he pecked Vincent on the cheek and Tifa stole one from the other side. 

"For you, I would tolerate anything, SOLDIER. Buster ranks, at best, a four amongst my annoyances." Vincent confessed. 

"Why a four?" 

"He likes banana Popsicles." 

Cloud laughed at that and said, "Fair enough."

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
